Device for reducing liquids to powdered or other condensed form



Sept. 18 i923. IASJH@ J. C. MacLAcHLAN DEVICE FOR REDUCING LIQUIDS TO POWDERED OR OTHER CONDENSED FORM Filed March 29. 1920 ,ZA/VEN Tof?.

Patented Sept. l, i923..

htddltl Een ironia' o. MAOLAOHLAN, or sT. PAUL, ninnnso'ranssrenon To STANDARD roon PRODUCTS co, or sT. PAUL, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

(DEVICE. FOR REDUCING LIQUIDS T0 POWDERED 0R OTHER CONDENSED FORM.

Application led March 29, 1920. Serial No. 369,59.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN C. MACLAOHLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Reducing Liquids to Powdered or @ther Condensed Form; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, land exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its objectto rovide a simple and eiiicient device for rediicing to dry powdered form substances, such as eggs, milk, and the like, that contain fat globules that should not be broken 1n the process of reduction to the powdered or condensed form.

lin the reduction of certain kinds of liquids, or semi-liquids to dry powdered or granular torni, a heating action is highly desirable, but in reducing whole rnilk or' creain,or eggs to dry powdered torni, the lot-:atingx action will `break up the globules, so that the nroduct will oe ot a very inferior duality. he .reduction oi? these containing. 'substances to dry powdered forni, rnnst therefore, loe accomplished Without breaking the fat globules; and l have :tound that may he ei'feetnally accomplished in the presence ot a hot drying medium, such as het air violently throwing the duid or semi-duid substance and proiecting the saine at high velocity vagainst or through a strong hlast of air. The substance thus projected should he thrown outward in the iorin oi a very thin or attenuated sheet, 'and the strong hlast ont air should come into contact therewith the very instant that the sheet is projected and should continue action on the' sheet long enough to effect the reduction thereof, nearly or quite to dry pow dered torni. y The device for accomplishing the above result is in the form of a sprayer head and blower which should he arranged to rotate on a vertical anis at the top or in the upper portion of a chamber through which the hot air or drying medium is passed or circulated. By rotating the sprayer head in one direc .tion and the ian or blower in the opposite direction-il double up the relative speed oit rotation or one in' respect to the other, so

that the air blast will cut through the umbrella-like shower of sheet of the substance subjected from the sprayer head with a very greatly intensified action that is very effective in accomplishing the quick reduction of the material to dry powdered form.

The invention is illustrated in the accornpanying drawings wherein like characrs indicate like parts throughout' the several views. i

Referring -to the drawings: Fig. l is a vertical section with some parts broken away illustrating my. invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the sprayer head on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

As already stated, the combined sprayer head and blower is arranged to work in the upper portion of a large chamber, in or through which hot air ,is circulated. r1his chamber is indicated by the numeral et, the top only thereof being shown in llig. i.

The numeral 5 indicates a pedestal-like frame secured on the top of the chamber the numerals 6 and .7 indicate, respectiveiv, concentrically arranged inner and outer tubular spindles, the former of which nrojects through the latter, both its uriner and lower ends. rlhe outer spindle 7" is journaled in vertically spaced anti-friction or hall bearings 8 on the france5, at upper end, said spindle .7 is provided an outstanding thrust ilange 9, between which and the top of the upper hearing 8, halls i0 are arranged to run. it its orogected upper end, the inner spindle ld 'c provided with a tunnel or daring head and beiow said'ifunnel, is provided with outstanding 'thrust flange l2. Bearing halls i3 are interposed between the thrust flange l2 and the tcp of a hearing yoke le that is lne numeral i? indicates upright dii countershaft journaled in hearings on the ft iranien and provided with three pnleys, i8, i9 and 20. d. powerdriven belt 2i runs over the pulley 18 to impart rotation to the sha-lit 17. A belt 22 runs over the pulleys 15 and 20 to transmit rotation to the outer spindle 7. A crobelt 23 runs over the pulleys 16 and 19 to impart rotation to the inner spindle 6. Here, it is important to note that by the arrangement of the belts 22 and 23, the latter being a cross belt, the two spindles 6 and 7 will, from the shaft 17, be simultaneously rotated in opposite directions. The substance to be I'educedv to powdered form,

vand which, will usually be 1n heavy liquid form, may be delivered to the funnel 11, and thence to the inner spindle 6, through a pipe 24 shown as equipped with a faucet 25.

The spraying head is applied to the lower end of the inner spindle 6, and as preferably constructed, comprises an outstanding spreader plate 26 that is made concavo-convex, so that its rim portion is concave-on its lower side, or in other words, is turned downward. This delecting plate 26 is of disk-like form and is rigidly secured to the spindle 6 so that it rotates therewith. The plate 26 is provided on its underside with a centrally located pocket 27 that receives the i fluid substance to be condensed and powdered directly from the lower end of the spindle 6. This pocket 27 is provided with clrcumferentially spaced discharge perforations or passages 28 located in a plane close to the top of the spreader plate 26, so that i the substance thrown outward therefrom by 426, so that the fan blades 31 work centrifugal force, will move directly against the concave lower surfaceof said plate 2.6.

The fan or blower is applied directly to the lower end of the outer' spindle 7, and,

as preferably constructed, it comprises a pair of concentric rings 29 and 30 and interposed obli ue fan blades31 connecting and spac2 'ing t e said rings. The inner ring 29^is connected to the arms of a collar 32 that is secured to the extreme lower end of the spindle. 7. l

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the inner ring 29 is located inward, while the outer ring 30 is located outward of the outer edge of the concave deilectin plate A irectly over the outer edge of said deiecting plate and will throw downward a blast of air that will cut directly across the edge of Said deecting plate. This feature, coupled with the fact that the deflecting plate is rotated in one direction and the fan in the opposite direction, and that both are rotated at very high speed, to wit, from three to five thousand revolutions, each its own direction,` gives a tremendously high relative movement of the one in respect to the other, with a resulting cutting of the air blast throu h the attenuated fine Sheet-like spray of t e liquid to be powdered, and this insures rapid reduction of the substance to dry powdered form. Obviously, the heavy liquid material discharged from the passages 28 of pocket '27, under the action of centrifugal force, will, by the action of centrifugal force, be` caused to spread out in a thin` sheet against the entire under concave surface of the sprayer plate 26 with a result.. that the material thrown from the ed e of the plate will be in a thin umbrellaike hlm, and hence, capable of quick and uniformreduction to fine powdered form by the action of the air blast in the presence of the hot drying medium. The eiciency .of this 'devicel has been demonstrated in practice. A

What I claim is:

1. In a device vof the sprayer head and a fan associated therewith, in combination with means for rotating said spraying head in one direction and said fan in the opposite direction, said sprayer head comprising a spreader plate against which the material to be desiccated is moved and from which it is rojected `by centrifugal force, and the said) fan bein arranged to discharge a blast of air direcy against the outer edge of said spreader plate.

2. In a device of the kind described, a

kind descfibed, a,

sprayer head and a .fan associated therewith,

in combination with means for rotating said spraying head in one direction and lsaid fan in the opposite direction, said sprayer head comprising a tubular spindl'e serving as a delivery pipe for thematerial to be desiccated, a concave spreader plate secured to lower end of said tubular s A mdle, and a central pocket at the undersi e of said dedecting plate provided with circumferentially spaced discharge passages located in the pane above the outer edge of said deflecting p ate.

3. In a 4device of the kind sprayer head and a fan associated therewith, in combination with means for rotating said spraying head in one direction and said fan in the opposite direction, said sprayer head comprising a tubular spindle serving as a deliverypipe for 'the material to be desiccated, a concave spreader plate secured `to the lower end of said tubular'spindle, a central pocket at the underside of said deflecting plate provided with circumferentially spaced discharge passages located in the plane above the outer edge of said dedescribed, a

lecting plate, and the said fan having blades r lit-b Meana 'structedly outwardly and downwardly in an umbrella-like shower, and oppositely rotating means located above said means for forc-A ing a current of air downwardly through said shower.

6. A device of the class described having in combination a rotating spraying member having its undersurface concave, means for feeding material to said surface whereby said material will be thrown outwardly and downwardly, and a .rotating fan located above said member and constructed and ar` ranged to direct a current of air downwardly around said member.

7. ln a device of the class described, centrifugal means for throwing material unobstructedly outwardly and downwardly in an umbrella-like shower and means located above said means for forcing an opposed current of fluid downwardly through said shower.

8. ln a device of the class described, a centrifugal means for throwing material unobstructed outwardly and downwardly in an umbrella-like shower, and means for forcing an opposed current of fluid downwardly through said shower.

lln testimony whereof l affix my signature.

JOHN C. MAGLACHLAN. 

